23 June 2026
Researchers looking to meaningfully involve people who use drugs in research and evaluation have a new practical resource to guide their work, following a workshop led by Associate Professor Lise Lafferty (UNSW Sydney) and Louise Hansford, Hepatitis C Elimination Coordinator South for the NHS Substance Addiction Providers Alliance (NHS APA).
Hosted at INHSU 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa, the workshop brought together members of INHSU’s Early-Mid-Career Researcher Special Interest Group and Community Committee, alongside researchers and community representatives from the wider INHSU network to explore what effective co-design looks like in practice and how common barriers can be overcome.
The resulting resource, Co-designing Research with People Who Use Drugs: How to Get It Right, outlines six key principles for meaningful engagement: starting with consultation rather than assumptions, building trusted relationships, funding community involvement appropriately, making participation practical, navigating real-world constraints and giving back to communities through ongoing partnerships.
A central message is that successful co-design requires more than good intentions. Meaningful involvement depends on early consultation, adequate funding, clear communication, trusted relationships and community participation throughout the full research process.
The resource is now available to support researchers, community organisations, funders and others seeking to strengthen the involvement of people who use drugs in research and evaluation.
